Brennan Hill, 32 at the time, shot Savannah Gonzalez in March 2021 near the Microtel in Palm Coast. Hill’s attorney, made his intentions clear in his remarkably brief interactions with potential jurors at the end of a day of jury selection Monday: the shooting was accidental. It had nothing to do with domestic violence. It was a homicide, but not a murder.
Obviously, the prosecution disagrees, though it did not tip its hand today as Bettman did.
Cops/Courts
Law Enforcement, Court and Incident Round-Up: Sept. 1-8
Running a stop sign leads to an arrest on two felonies, a bored inmate triggers a fire sprinkler, four are arrested for illegally picking palmetto berries, a child drowns in Seminole Woods, Brendan Depa’s pre-trial is postponed.
Palm Coast Fire Department’s Lt. Richard Cline Retires After 25 Years of Service
The Palm Coast Fire Department bids a fond farewell to Richard “Rich” Cline as he embarks on a well-deserved retirement after a proud career spanning 25 years, dedicated to serving the City of Palm Coast.
Palm Coast Fire Department Wins $23,000 EMS Grant
The Palm Coast Fire Department proudly announces its success in securing the 2022-2023 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Matching Grant, administered by the Florida Department of Health, with a grant value of $23,183.00. This grant, part of the EMS Trust Fund, underscores the department’s ongoing commitment to elevating emergency medical services in the community.
40-Year-Old Cyclist Killed in Collision with Pick-Up on U.S. 1, North of Old Dixie Highway Roundabout
A 40-year-old Ormond Beach woman was killed and her 45-year-old husband was seriously injured when both were struck by a pick-up truck as they rode their bicycles south on U.S. 1, just north of the Old Dixie Highway roundabout, in midafternoon Thursday.
‘Fairness and Diversity’ Training for Judges? Florida Supreme Court Rules It Unnecessary.
The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday kept in place a decision to delete part of a rule that allowed judges to take courses in “fairness and diversity” to meet continuing-education requirements. In a 5-1 order, the court said it had considered comments and determined that “no further amendments to the rule are warranted at this time.”
Ex-Matanzas Student Facing Adult Gun and Molestation Charges Here Is Attending High School in Wisconsin
Marshall Thomas, the former Matanzas High School student who was charged as an adult with gun theft and, separately, charged as an adult with the sexual assault of a Matanzas student at school in May 2022, was enrolled in a charter school in northern Wisconsin after posting $60,000 bond in Flagler County. Both cases are pending, with Thomas’s next scheduled pre-trial in Circuit Court in Bunnell on Oct. 11. A parent in Wisconsin is concerned about Thomas’s presence among students there.
Witnesses Say C.J. Nelson Jr. Had ‘Handled’ Jammed Gun Before Shooting of 18-Month-Old Girl
C.J. Nelson Jr., the 21-year-old resident of 2 Ranwood Lane arrested the night of the fatal shooting of an 18-month-old girl at that house Sunday, was said by “more than one” witness in the house that he had been handling the gun that fired the fatal shot, and that he had described the gun as “jammed” before the shooting, according to his arrest report.
18-Month-Old Girl Killed by Gunshot in Palm Coast’s R-Section; Person of Interest Arrested on Unrelated Charge
An 18-month-old girl was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head from an automatic pistol at 2 Ranwood Lane in Palm Coast shortly before midnight Sunday. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and two other agencies are investigating. The victim had not handled the gun.
Flagler Sheriff’s Corrections Deputy Colin Haggerty Arrested for Boating Under the Influence on the Intracoastal
Colin Haggerty, a 38-year-old Flagler County Sheriff’s corrections deputy, was arrested and charged with boating under the influence of alcohol on Saturday (Sept. 2) in the Intracoastal just north of the Hammock Dunes Bridge.
Brendan Depa, Now 18, Is Transferred to the Flagler County Jail to Await Trial
Brendan Depa, the former Matanzas High School student facing a first-degree felony charge of aggravated battery in the beating of a school paraprofessional last February, has been transferred to the Flagler County jail, from the Duval Regional Detention center in Jacksonville, where he’d been held for the past six months.
Sheriff’s Michael Breckwoldt Demoted to Corporal Following Investigation of Drinking Incident at Finn’s Bar
Michael Breckwoldt, the 20-year veteran of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office who was in charge of the agency’s narcotics unit until last May, was demoted from sergeant to corporal and placed on last-chance probation for a year and a half as a result of an incident at Finn’s Beachside Pub in Flagler Beach, where Breckwoldt’s drinking led to “offensive behavior,” in violation of agency policy, and where he behaved in an unbecoming way toward patrons.
Flagler Sheriff Sends 10-Member Emergency Response Team to Help in Hurricane Idalia Recovery
Ten members of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team are deploying to Florida’s Big Bend region to assist in the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Idalia after being activated by the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Sheriff’s Association Task Force.
Gabriella Alo Pleads Out in Brutal, Dual Flagler Beach Attack, Leaving Herself Open to Steep Prison Sentence
Gabriella Alo, the 19-year-old woman accused, with her brother, of beating a teen and running over a woman’s foot at Wickline Park last January, pleaded to numerous charges that add up to a potential 67 years in prison, though she will likely face considerably less than that when she’s sentenced on Dec. 1. How much less is the question: she tendered an open plea to Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, who is neither softie nor sadist.
White Supremacist Murders 3 Black People at Dollar General in Jacksonville, Before Shooting Himself
Sheriff T.K. Waters said two males and one female — all Black — were killed in the shootings, and the shooter killed himself. He had been armed with an AR-15 style rifle and a handgun, with the rifle showing several swastikas. At the time of the news conference, the shooter’s name had not yet been identified, but Sheriff Waters said the man had authored manifestos that were provided to his parents, the media, and federal agents. The sheriff referenced the “disgusting ideology of hate.”
Man Arrested at Flagler Beach’s Boardwalk for Swinging Bat, Threatening Adults and a Child and Calling Himself God
Stephen Douglass Torma, 43, swung a bat as he threatened passers by on Flagler Beach’s boardwalk, damaged the boardwalk with the bat then threatened a Flagler Beach police officer and his family with harm. Torma’s spiral has been traced in his court file over the last four years.
Bomb Squad Disarms Report of Grenades After Swarming Around House of Murder Suspect in Woodlands
The house at 20 Blare Drive, the scene of a murder by gunshot last week, drew authorities again today, including a bomb squad, after a resident reported finding a crate of grenades inside. But the crate ended up containing only ammunition.
Lyonel Jeune, 65, Arrested on 1st Degree Felony Charge in Hit-and-Run Death of William Rembert, 56
Lyonel Jeune, a 65-year-old resident of Beacon Mill Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested over the weekend and charged with a first-degree felony in the hit-and-run death of William Joseph Rembert, 56, on Dec. 1, 2021, at Palm Coast Parkway and Leanni Way, near Belle Terre Parkway. The charge carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison on conviction.
Dad Accused of Neglect as 4-Year-Old Child Wanders Across SR100 Against Traffic in Middle of Night
Christian Zaborowski, the 22-year-old father of a 4-year-old boy, faces a felony child neglect charge after authorities accused him of leaving his front door unlocked and being unaware that his son had wandered out of the apartment and onto State Road 100 after midnight Monday, where a vehicle came to a dead stop just before striking the child.
Unprecedented $1 Billion Available in Grants to Prevent Wildfires. Most Towns Don’t Know About It.
There’s a huge pot of federal money available to communities across the country — an unprecedented amount that would allow towns to quickly tackle work that otherwise would take decades.
Flagler County Jail Wins National Innovation Award for Initiatives Preparing Inmates’ Re-Integration
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s jail has been awarded the 2023 Innovation Award for medium-sized facilities by the American Jail Association. Sheriff Staly, Court and Detention Services Chief Dan Engert, and other Detention Services members accepted the award at AJA’s 42nd Conference and Jail Expo in Omaha, Nebraska during the awards banquet.
Collin Calvert, 21, Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison Over Armed Robbery of Palm Coast Store for Strip Joint Money
Colin Calvert, the 21-year-old man who stole a rifle, robbed a Palm Coast convenience store of nearly 5,000 in cash, which he put in a Happy Meal box, spent all the money at a strip joint, then burglarized a gun store, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday, followed by five years on probation.
Charlie Ericksen Jr. Is Laid to Rest With Military Honors and Solemn Salutes at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery
Charlie Frederick Ericksen Jr., the former Flagler County commissioner, U.S. Army Lieutenant and father of three who died on July 31 in Celebration, was laid to rest at Cape Canaveral National cemetery with military honors this afternoon following a solemn ceremony attended by family, a few friends, and a few Flagler County officials past and present.
Man Found Shot and Roped with Weights in Intracoastal in 1997 Is Identified as Robert Bruce McPhail
It took 26 years, but the man found murdered and floating in the Intracoastal Waterway in September 1997 has finally been identified as Robert Bruce McPhail, a 58-year-old boater originally from Kenora-Winnipeg area of Manitoba in Canada, who’d moved to South Florida in the mid-1990s. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Cold Case Unit’s detective Sarah Scalia cracked the case with Othram, a forensic sequencing laboratory.
Security First Insurance Accountant Samantha Rae Link Arrested in $1.5 Million Embezzlement Scheme
An investigation by the State Attorney’s Office and Ormond Beach police led to the arrest last week of Samantha Rae Link, a 31-year-old Daytona Beach resident and former accountant at Security First Insurance, on two first-degree felony counts of fraud and grand theft. The investigation revealed that Link allegedly stole $1.5 million from the Ormond Beach insurance company.
Homeowner, 85, Arrested on Murder Charge in Shooting Death of Mark Ruschmeier, 36, in Long-Running Dispute
Charles Kidd Jr., 85, was arrested on a second-degree murder charge this afternoon following the early morning shooting death of 36-year-old Mark Ruschmeier, who has lived with Kidd at Kidd’s Blare Drive home in Palm Coast’s Woodlands for at least a decade.
School District’s Cost for Security at Alternative School with 2 Teachers and 25 Students: $142,500
The Flagler County school district is paying $142,500 a year for security at its relatively new alternative school on the campus of Flagler Palm Coast High School–an alternative school with just two teachers and an average of 20 students per quarter, some of them virtual, and that operates only four days a week.
Sheriff’s Deputy Hospitalized During Investigation of DUI Suspect’s Cocktail of Drugs, Including Fentanyl
George Clemons, 61, was arrested on numerous charges for drugs, DUI and hit and run, while one of the deputies investigating the case, Nick Huzior, had to be hospitalized after talking ill while field testing the substances found in Clemons’s truck.
Minor Electrical Fire Outside Next Door Bistro Briefly Shuts Down Popular Restaurant in Flagler Beach
A small electrical fire outside the Next Door Beach Bistro in Flagler Beach late this afternoon sent smoke inside the restaurant and caused it to close for the rest of the evening. But crews quickly put out the fire. There were no injuries and damage was limited to the electrical equipment outside
DeSantis Ousts State Attorney Monique Worrell, a Black Democrat Elected with 67 Percent of Vote
Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended another elected prosecutor. This time it’s Monique Worrell of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, in Orange and Osceola counties, a Democrat who was elected in November 2020 and is the second African American to hold the position.
Flagler County Fire Rescue Paramedics Teach FPC Football Players Hands-Only CPR
Flagler-Palm Coast High School Football Head Coach Daniel Fish and Assistant Coach Jason Winkler invited Flagler County Fire Rescue Community Paramedics Rob Errett and Tracy Farmer to teach their players hands-only CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, because of recent incidents involving college athletes.
Sheriff’s Communications Supervisor Heather Robinson Is Line Supervisor of the Year
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Communications Supervisor Heather Robinson accepted the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International Line Supervisor of the Year award for 2023! Heather was recognized during the Opening General Session at APCO 2023, APCO’s Annual Conference & Expo in Nashville.
Ahead of His Sentencing to Life in Prison, Attorneys for Monserrate Teron File Motion for 3rd Trial
Attorneys for Monserrate Teron, the Palm Coast resident a jury last month found guilty on all counts of raping and molesting his 7-year-old niece, on Monday filed a motion for a new trial, what would be Teron’s third on those charges. They make several claims, most of them previously made in pre-trial motions and denied by Circuit Judge Terence Perkins. He is not likely to rule differently now. He is sentencing Teron on Oct. 11.
Hoping for Suicide By Lyft, Palm Coast Man Points a Gun on Driver and Pulls the Trigger
Esaiah Zamir Glenn, a 24-year-old resident of 85 Bronson Lane in Palm Coast, faces a felony aggravated assault charge after allegedly pointing a gun at the head of a Lyft driver and pulling the trigger. The gun did not go off. Glenn claims he was trying to frighten the driver into shooting him, as he had been having suicidal thoughts. It is at least the third time in five years that a local Lyft or Uber driver is the victim of a violent crime while on the job.
Palm Coast Fire Department’s Driver Engineer Leonardo Chumaceiro Retires
The Palm Coast Fire Department bids a fond farewell to Driver Engineer Leonardo “Leo” Chumaceiro as he embarks on a well-deserved retirement after a proud career spanning 37 years, dedicated to serving the City of Palm Coast.
4 Suicide Attempts, 6 Baker Acts, No Disputes About Mental Health Needs, Yet He’s Sentenced to Prison on Minor Violation
L’Darius Smith is a a troubled man prone to confrontations, delusions, depression, and self-harm who twice avoided prison in high-profile trials in Flagler in the last five years, but minor probation violation resulted in a prison sentence Thursday even though the court acknowledged that he suffers from deep mental health problems and needs treatment.
16 Year Old Palm Coast Boy Faces Felony Charges in Stabbing of Two 13 Year Olds in the Woodlands
Brandon Gray Jr., a 16-year-old resident of Fort Caroline Lane in Palm Coast, faces three juvenile felony charges following the July 30 stabbing with a pocketknife of two boys, both 13, along a trail linking Blairsville Drive in the Woodlands to Palm Coast Parkway. Cell phone video of the stabbing circulated on social media and helped detectives’ investigation.
Flagler County Fire Rescue Receives American Heart Association Award
Flagler County Fire Rescue has distinguished itself when it comes to treating heart attack patients and has been awarded the American Heart Association “Mission: Lifeline EMS Silver” for 2023.
50-Year-Old Palm Coast Cyclist Is Killed in Crash While Crossing State Road 100 in Bunnell
A 50-year-old Palm Coast man on a bicycle lost his life Monday night in a collision with a car driven by a 77-year-old woman on State Road 100 just west of Commerce Parkway in Bunnell.
36-Year-Old Man Breaks Into Church’s Playground to Charge Phone and Pleasure Himself
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Eliezer Torres, 36, Saturday after he was accused of shoplifting at Goodwill, breaking into Christ the King Lutheran Church’s playground, destroying some property there so he could charge his cell phone, and masturbating at the entrance to the church.
Teron, in 2nd Trial, Is Guilty on All Charges of Raping 7-Year-Old Niece; Will Be Sentenced to Life in Prison
In Monserrate Teron’s second trial in six weeks, a jury of four men and two women today found the former Army nurse guilty of raping and molesting his 7-year-old niece at his Palm Coast home in November 2019. The jury deliberated three hours, its decision finally, clearly clinched by the testimony of the child, now 11, whom Teron had victimized for years.
Prosecution Lets Glaring Falsehood, Key to Defense’s Arguments, Go Unchallenged as Rape Trial Goes to Jury
The prosecution and defense delivered their closing arguments in Monserrate Teron’s second trial in six weeks on charges he raped his 7-year-old niece in Palm Coast in 2019. The prosecution never challenged a key but medically false claim at the center of Teron’s defense: that since he suffered from erectile dysfunction, he could not have orgasmed as he was abusing his niece.
Palm Coast Man, 43, Is Killed in Rear-End Crash with Stopped Semi on I-95
A 43-year-old Palm Coast man lost his life Wednesday night in a rear-end crash as traffic was stalled on I-95 near the Old Dixie Highway interchange.
Defense’s Strategy in Teron’s Second Trial on Charges of Raping His Niece: Indict the Accusers
The defense’s strategy in Monserrate Teron’s trial on charges that he raped his 7-year-old niece has been on blunt display for the past two days in a Bunnell courtroom: indict the accuser. Indict her family. Indict her forensic interviewer. Indict the investigator. Make them look uninvolved, clueless, incompetent, prejudiced. Question them as if they are on trial, not Teron.
Sheriff’s Employees Donate $25,645 to Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) employees donated $25,645 to the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches (FSYR) making FCSO employee’s total donations to the FSYR over $158,000 since 2017.
Jury Selection in Teron’s 2nd Trial Again Rattles Jurors
A jury of four men and four women, including two alternates, was seated late this afternoon in the trial of Monserrate Teron, his second in six weeks on charges that the 59-year-old Palm Coast resident and former Army nurse raped his 7-year-old niece at his home in 2019. The first trial ended with a deadlocked jury of 12.
Confrontation and Felony Charge Over a Private Walkway and a Seawall Point to Erosion of Different Kind
Jason Wiles, a beachside resident north of Flagler Beach–and the husband of an assistant county attorney–faces a felony battery charge after a confrontation with a neighbor over a private walkway. The incident is illustrative of new kinds of tensions becoming part of beachside norms as recurring consequences of rising seas erode more than just shorelines: the fabric of beachside culture is also fraying.
Jury Finds Nysean Giddens Not Guilty in Overdose Drug Death of Shaun Callahan, 1st Such Acquittal in Flagler
After deliberating nearly four hours, a 12-member jury this afternoon acquitted Nysean Giddens, 25, of first degree murder in the overdose drug death of Shaun James Callahan, 37, at his Palm Coast home in September 2020. It is the first time a person charged with murder or manslaughter in an overdose death in Flagler County was found not guilty at trial.
Arrested in Drunk-Driving Killing of Lee-Ann Daley, Joseph Siano Is Denied Bond Until Trial in Rare Ruling
Joseph Siano, 64, was denied bond in a rare ruling following his arrest on a drunk driving manslaughter charge in the death of 46-year-old Lee-Ann Daley as he drove the wrong way on U.S. 1 in Palm Coast last December, after he was cut off from drinking at Pine Lakes Golf Club.
Lawsuit Calls Florida’s New Immigration Law Unconstitutional and ‘Xenophobic’
A coalition of groups have filed a lawsuit in federal court over Florida’s recently enacted immigration law, specifically challenging the section of the law that makes it a felony for individuals to transport an undocumented immigrant across state lines as being unconstitutional.